The World Is Not That Simple
by tinylexie
Summary: What Darken Rahl didn't tell Richard in "Resurrection."


I can't help but be disgusted

By how narrow-minded you are, baby brother.

I've told you before that you were for the Keeper

Because of the fact that you killed,

But you apparently didn't get the message.

I've just told you again,

But you still insist that you won't serve the Keeper.

REALITY CHECK, BABY BROTHER,

"YOU SERVE THE KEEPER

EVERYTIME YOU TAKE A LIFE.

THE REASON WHY YOU KILL

DOES NOT MATTER."

Oh, what's the point?

You're never going to get the message.

You are so consumed by your hate for me, baby brother,

That your narrow-minded thinking abilities is unable to process

Anything that comes from me,

Despite the fact that I am telling you The Truth.

Funny, I thought you were supposed to be

The Seeker of Truth.

You obviously can't see The Truth, baby brother,

Even when it's right in front of your eyes.

I don't understand why you hate me so much, baby brother.

You don't even know me.

The Wizard and the Mother Confessor,

Who were once strangers told you,

Told you that I was evil,

And you accepted their word for it.

I wonder how different things would have been, baby brother.

If I had found you first,

And if I had told you

That the Wizard and the Mother Confessor

Were the evil ones.

You probably would have taken my word for it

Because evidently a little proclamation of evil

Is enough to convince you.

You made it your mission to kill me, baby brother,

Even though you only had the word of two strangers

Telling you that I was evil and deserving of death.

You didn't see me as another human, baby brother.

I was nothing more that a concept to you,A concept that needed to be destroyed

Because some strangers told you that I was evil.

You really have a narrow-minded way

Of looking at the world, baby brother.

In your eyes, someone is either good or evil,

But The Truth is

The world is not that simple.

True, some people commit more despicable acts

Than other people,

But what are the words "good" and "evil"

Besides concepts meant to make things simple?

In the real world, baby brother,

Things cannot always be simplified.

Good versus evil is not a valid way

Of looking at the world

Because the world is not that simple.

Everyone is composed of both good and evil, baby brother.

No one is purely good,

Just like no one is purely evil.

True, some people appear more evil than others,

But there's a little bit of good in everyone.

I will admit, though, that in some people,

That little bit of good is so consumed by so much evil

That "good" part can be said to be not "nonexistence"

But definitely "invisible."

You think that I am purely evil, baby brother,

But on what grounds?

Because of what a beautiful woman told you?

Would Kahlan have been so persuasive

If she had been ugly?

I guess the fact that she was being chased by men

Helped her case,

But the fact that she is beautiful

Definitely didn't hurt her case either.

No doubt, baby brother, you see Kahlan as purely good,

But that's not The Truth.

Can you not understand, baby brother, why some people

Would view her as evil?

With one touch, Kahlan can destroy a person's mind.

That person becomes devoted to her,

And they live only to serve her and to please her.

They no longer care about themselves.

They live only to serve Kahlan's purposes

And to obey her every command.

Death would be a much more preferable fate over Confession.

Now you're probably wondering, baby brother,

Why I wanted Kahlan's power so much.

I'll keep it simple for you, baby brother.

I wouldn't want you to bust a brain cell

From thinking too much.

Many people see Confessors as being evil

Because of their powers,

And they are clearly a threat to me;

But most of them really do care about the people.

They do what they have to do, no more, no less.

If they have to Confess someone to save another life,

Then so be it.

The same concept applies to me.

I do what I had to do, no more, no less.

Prophecy said that you would one day kill me, baby brother.

I did what I had to in order to protect my life.

Perhaps I went overboard a bit,

But then again, I wouldn't be a good "evil" concept

If I never did anything that could be considered evil.

I've just discovered that I really can't keep this simple.

Like I've said before, baby brother,

The world is not as simple as you make it out to be.

Are you still following?

Nod if you are still able to comprehend

The words that are coming out of my mouth.

I wanted either the Boxes of Orden or the power of Confession

In order to bring peace to the world.

Like I've said before, one serves the Keeper every time they kill.

You claim, baby brother, that you don't serve the Keeper,

So why weren't you happy when I said I wanted peace?

All you could think about was anther Seeker rising up

To take your place.

All you could think about, baby brother,

Was someone one day killing me.

All that mattered to you was that I died by someone's hands.

But why?

What gives you the right, baby brother,

To say that I am deserving of death?

What gives anyone the right to say

That I am deserving of death?

You were told, baby brother,

That I am evil,

So clearly and obviously I MUST be "evil."

Are you really that narrow-minded, baby brother?

Are you really that narrow-minded, baby brother,

To call me "evil" and to call yourself "good."

Are you really going to deny the evil inside you, baby brother?

Have you forgotten what happened, baby brother,

When you had the power of the Boxes of Orden?

You wanted vengeance against Denna,

The woman who killed your mother,

A woman you never got a chance to know.

You wanted vengeance against all the present D'Harans

Just because they served me.

Was that really reason enough, baby brother,

To command them to kill each other?

You didn't even know any of those D'Harans,

Just like you don't know me.

I will admit that some of my men went overboard

In their service to me.

They committed despicable acts,

But most of my men are not "evil."

They are just doing their duty.

They are just doing what they have to do

In order to feed their families,

No more, no less.

None of that mattered to you, though, baby brother.

You wanted vengeance.

Yes, Richard, "vengeance" not "justice."

Vengeance and justice are not the same.

I hope that you at least recognize that, baby brother.

Vengeance is an act of evil.

You committed acts of evil, baby brother,

When you had the power of Orden.

Some may say that none of it was your fault, baby brother,

Because you were processed by great and evil power,

But that's once again simplifying things

That should not be simplified.

Power itself is not evil.

The Wizard and the Mother Confessor both have power,

And you do not see them as evil, baby brother.

Power can be used for either good or evil purposes,

Depending on its wielder.

True, power can process someone,

But procession cannot take place

If there is nothing for it to grab onto.

You were indeed processed by Orden, baby brother,

Because its power had your evil side to grab onto.

But still, Richard,

You refuse to see that you have an evil side.

Since you believe that I am evil,

You clearly and obviously HAVE to be "good," baby brother.

After all, evil defeating evil doesn't make much sense.

No, such a concept doesn't make sense to the narrow-minded.

Sometimes, baby brother, you have to commit acts of evil

For the greater good.

Sometimes you have to kill people to reach a goal,

A goal such as killing me.

There are many people

That could still be alive today, baby brother,

If you had not insisted on Seeking my death.

I really don't know why I'm bothering with all this.

It's clear to me, baby brother,

That you still don't understand.

You refuse to listen to me because you see me as evil.

Who am I, a concept of evil,

To give you, The Seeker of Truth, a concept of good,

A lecture about good and evil?

I'm definitely not calling myself "good."

I've done "evil" things because sometimes that's necessary.

The only difference between you and I, Richard,

Is that I'm willing to admit that I have an evil side.

See, Richard, you and I are not as different

As you make us out to be.

You cannot simplify things, Richard,

By calling me "evil" while you call yourself "good."

Both of us are composed of both good and evil.

If the right circumstances came your way, baby brother,

You would do the same things that I have done.

You proved that when you had the power of Orden.

You kill just as readily as I do

If that is what is necessary to protect your life.

Are you going to say now, baby brother,

That wanting to protect your life is an "evil" thing?

No, I know what you are going to say.

It's evil to want to protect your life when you are evil.

If only I wasn't "evil."

Things would have been so much different

If I had been "good"

You really like to simplify things, baby brother,

That can't be simplified.

I've told you this before, and I'll tell you again:

THE WORLD IS NOT THAT SIMPLE!

But still, baby brother,

I'll humor you by making this as simple as possible:

Evil does indeed exist in the world,

And it will always be there needing to be defeated,

But it can never be defeated as long as there is life

Because finding "evil" is as easy

As looking at the dark places in your own heart.


End file.
